


The Ultimate Experiment

by FrankieAlton



Category: Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Genre: Ensemble Cast, F/M, Mystery, Original Character(s), Relationship(s), Science Fiction, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-03
Updated: 2012-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-21 00:05:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/218607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankieAlton/pseuds/FrankieAlton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a mission takes an unexpected turn, Linka awakens to find herself in the middle of twisted plot that could destroy the Planeteers as well as threaten the entire world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking Up

Linka woke up slowly, as if she had been medicated. The first thing she noticed was that her surroundings were cold and unfamiliar. The lighting was harsh and fluorescent, bouncing off barren walls. The air had an antiseptic odor, reminiscent of a hospital or clinic. The only sound was the low, steady hum of electronic equipment punctuated by occasional beeps.

She tried to turn her head to survey her surroundings when she felt a sudden burst of pain shoot through her head and down her neck. She started to scream, but when she opened her mouth it came out only as a pained gasp.

Within moments she was surrounded by a crew of what she assumed to be nurses and doctors. They were a swirl of activity around her. Her senses seemed dull, her vision blurry and her hearing muffled, as if she were underwater. She could only make out bits and pieces of what they were saying and doing. Even so, she got the sense that there was something very unusual going on. The crew did not exude the usual compassion and sympathy associated with their chosen profession. Instead they seemed cold and impersonal, more concerned with doing a job than caring for their patient.

After what could have been a few moments or a few hours the nurses and doctors left the room, with the exception of one. She was a striking young woman with long blonde hair and cold blue eyes. She was dressed in a black turtleneck that appeared to be military issue. She looked disturbingly familiar- though in Linka's drugged state she could not figure out how.

The young woman stood over Linka, gazing at her with a cold, analytical expression. She looked like a scientist observing an experiment. Something in the woman's gaze triggered a sense of panic, even though Linka was powerless to do anything about it.

As Linka lay on the gurney, looking helplessly up at this mystery woman, another person walked into the room. He was an older man wearing a military uniform decorated with a large amount of medals. He had short, graying hair and a stern face. This man stood over Linka as well, heightening the nauseating feeling of panic that was already welling up inside of her.

"Is she ready to talk yet?" the man asked, sounding rather impatient.

"Not yet," the woman answered tonelessly. "She needs a few more days."

"Why the hell is she being so difficult?" The man sneered. "The others are starting to drive me crazy asking about her."

"She was injured in the capture. We have to be delicate." The woman had not taken her eyes off of Linka to look at the man. "She is the one that we need, we have to be careful with her."

"Well see what you can do to speed things up, time is urgent!" the man barked, before turning and walking out of the room.

The mysterious woman continued to stand over Linka's bed, studying her with a calculating look. "Don't worry about him," she said emotionlessly. "He is used to having everybody around him obey his orders. He does not understand things that will not react according to his rules."

Her words could have been comforting to Linka had they been spoken with even a trace of compassion. Instead they left Linka feeling vaguely uneasy.

The woman picked up a syringe and filled it with a clear liquid. She injected it into Linka's IV line, and within a few moments the Russian Planeteer sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	2. More Questions Than Answers

When Linka woke up again she had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been hours or it could have been days. She noticed that she felt somewhat better this time though. Her head was not throbbing in pain, and her thoughts were far more lucid.

She was able to get a better look at her surroundings this time. The room she was in seemed more like a laboratory than a hospital room. The walls were painted a military gray and there were no windows. The only lighting came from dim, flickering florescent bulbs. There was only one door to the room, made of metal with an electronic lock.

Her options for escaping from wherever she was seemed very limited. She sat up cautiously in her bed, hoping to not have a repeat of what had happened last time she tried to move. After she had managed to sit up for a few moments without any ill effect she swung her legs over the bed and cautiously stood up. Her legs felt shaky and week but she managed to remain standing.

She took a few steps, holding onto the bed for support, when she felt the tug of the IV that was still inserted into her arm. With a wince she slid the needle out of her vein and continued walking toward the door.

She felt her sense of panic start to return as she made her way slowly across the room. Where was she? How did she get here? Where were the other Planeteers?

She felt her mind start to spin, and it caused her head to hurt slightly. She began breathing faster and she could feel her heart beating harder in her chest. "Stop it, Linka," she scolded herself. "Stay calm. You have to find the others."

After what seemed like a very long time Linka made it to the door. The electronic lock required a fingerprint scan and passcode to open. There did not seem to be any sort of manual lock. It was only now, that she was trying to find a way out of the room, that Linka realized her ring was missing

She sank down to her knees next to the door. The little effort she had exerted to walk across the room had made her very tired. "How did I get here?" she moaned aloud.

She tried to bring her mind to focus on the last thing she remembered before waking up here. She had been on a mission with the other Planeteers… Duke Nukem had attacked a secret US Government nuclear research facility and they were trying to stop him. They had been flying in the GeoCruiser when they were intercepted by two US Air Force jets. They had been ordered to land immediately- they were in restricted air space. They were complying with the order when they were hit by something and the Geo-Cruiser began spiraling out of control. Linka did not remember much after that point.

So that was it. That would explain the man in the uniform. She was at some sort of military base. But why would they take her ring from her? And what did all of the things that the man and woman were talking about even mean? Why was she the one that they needed?

Linka realized that the more she thought about her situation, the more questions she ended up with rather than answers.

As she sat on the cold concrete floor thinking about her situation she noticed the door open. She instinctively tensed and braced herself for a fight. Linka turned her head and looked up to see the young blonde woman from earlier walk into the room.

"I suppose you are feeling better," the woman said with the same emotionless voice as before.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Linka demanded, though her voice sounded weaker than she would have liked.

The woman did not respond. She set a small backpack on the bed. "These are your personal effects. Since you are obviously feeling up to walking now, you can get dressed and come with me. There are some questions that you need to answer."

The woman turned her back as Linka got dressed in her usual Planeteer clothes. Linka looked through the bag quickly and found her ring inside. With relief she slid it onto her finger, though she was not sure how much good it would do her wherever she was.

"Are you ready?" the woman asked after a moment, though she did not sound impatient.

"Almost," Linka answered. Linka still felt somewhat drugged and the process of getting dressed was turning out to be a slow one. However, that also gave her a chance to survey the room a bit more. She noticed a folder sitting on a table next to her bed. The only things written on the front of the folder were "Top Secret" and the acronym "B.E.C.C.A." Linka was tempted to open the folder and see what was inside, but decided it was not such a wise idea with this mystery woman standing so close.

"I am ready." Linka said. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"You'll know soon enough," the woman answered simply, turning around to face her. "Come with me."

Linka considered protesting, but she was not sure if it would do any good. Most likely she would be escorted by some soldiers if she refused to comply. The sickening sense of having no idea what was happening to her was starting to overcome her rational thinking, but she decided to cooperate for now rather than risking something worse.

She followed the blonde haired woman down a long, narrow, windowless corridor. Whoever this woman was, she walked at a very brisk pace, so much so that Linka almost felt out of breath from following her. She led Linka into a small room, devoid of any furnishings save for a metal table and a few metal chairs. The man in the uniform who Linka had seen earlier was sitting in one of the chairs. The woman took a seat next to him.

"Linka, so good to see you are feeling better. Please, have a seat," he said, motioning to one of the chairs. He was attempting to sound amicable, but Linka wasn't buying it.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Linka was getting tired of the games.

The man smiled an oily smile at her. "I am Colonel Derrick Luce. You are currently at a government base located beneath the New Mexico desert. Very few people know of the existence of this place. What we do here is highly… experimental."

Linka stared blankly at the officer. What would the U.S. military want with her?

"Do you remember how you got here?" Colonel Luce asked after a moment of silence.

"I…" She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I was with the Planeteers. We were attempting to stop Duke Nukem from attacking a nuclear facility when something hit our jet and we crashed."

The man nodded. "You and the other… Planeteers… you have encountered Duke Nukem before?"

"Yes, many times." Linka answered.

The man leaned forward. "He is an extremely dangerous creature. The U.S. government has been attempting to apprehend him for years. And yet with all our sophisticated technology he seems to elude our grasp. But a group of teenagers like the Planeteers can take him down?"

Linka was not sure she liked where this was going. "We have… we were given rings that enable us to control the elements…" How did she explain something like this without sounding crazy?

Colonel Luce chuckled. "Don't worry, dear. In my line of work I have heard much crazier things. And we already knew about your rings, Gaia, Captain Planet, the whole thing."

"Then why ask me these questions?" Linka was irate. What kind of game was this man playing with her?

"I just want to make sure we're on the same page." The Colonel smiled at her and sat back in his chair. Linka shifted her gaze between Luce and the woman sitting next to him. The woman was staring at her with that cold, calculating look again. What was it that was so familiar about the woman? Linka couldn't quite seem to place it.

Linka decided not to speak again until Colonel Luce spoke. She didn't trust him, and she didn't want to give away any information that he could use against her.

Finally Colonel Luce broke the silence. "There is no need to be apprehensive Linka. We're on the same page here. Take a look at this." He slid a large binder across the table to her.

Cautiously Linka opened it and looked inside. There was information and photos on all sorts of people. She recognized most of the names- Mame Slaughter, Hoggish Greedly, Verminous Skumm… "What does this mean?" Linka asked as she continued to browse through the folder.

"We are after the same people. We want these villains brought to justice as much as you do. That is why you Planeteers are going to help us."

Linka didn't look up from the folder. She thought that she should feel better that this man was after the eco-villains as well, but something about him still made her uneasy. She paused when she got to a picture of Dr. Barbara Blight. Suddenly the realization hit her- that's who this blonde woman reminded her of, albeit younger and minus the scar, but still the resemblance was undeniable.

Linka finally looked up, a stunned expression on her face. If the blonde woman noticed she did nothing to let on, her expression never changed. The Colonel merely smiled at her. "So what do you say? Do you want to work with us to bring these people down?"

Linka stared at him dumbfounded for a moment. This was all so surreal. As many questions as she had and he was asking her one! She would have been angry if she wasn't so overwhelmed by other emotions. After a moment of struggling for an answer she finally replied "Let me talk to the other Planeteers and then I will answer that for you."


	3. Separation Anxiety

Wheeler had barely slept or eaten in days. He had not seen Linka since the Geo Cruiser was intercepted by the Air Force, and that had been over a week ago. He had been taken to a military hospital for treatment after the crash and was assured by a Colonel Luce that Linka was safe and would be released as soon as her condition stabilized. However that was six days ago and still no sign of Linka.

Wheeler and the other Planeteers were staying a rundown motel in the desert several miles from the base while they waited for Linka's release. Wheeler spent most of his time pacing the small, uncomfortable room and looking anxiously at the phone, waiting for any news.

"Wheeler, you need to relax. Have something to eat," Gi said with concern.

"Yes, you are looking pale," Kwame added.

Wheeler stared at them both blankly for a moment. He was so sleep deprived that it was taking longer than usual to process things. Finally he responded, "I don't think I can relax until I know Linka is safe." He at least stopped pacing and took a seat on the edge of one of the beds. He could hear the coils in the obviously aged mattress creaking as he sat down.

The others wished that they had some comforting words for Wheeler, but they were all just as worried. They had all had rather strange experiences after the crash. All of the Planeteers had been taken to a military hospital for treatment, even though none of them were really injured except for Linka. They had been kept in separate rooms and not allowed to communicate with each other. They had each been interrogated by Colonel Derrick Luce, who assured them that they were on the same side. However none of them were quite sure they trusted him.

Wheeler, being so close to Linka, was dealing with it worse than anyone else. He stayed awake worrying about her, and when he could no longer will his eyes to stay open, he dreamed strange and terrifying dreams of what could be happening to her. He would wake up covered in sweat, and not just because the air conditioning in the crummy hotel was barely functional.

Wheeler felt especially bad considering the last time they had seen each other, he and Linka had been arguing. It was not unusual for them to clash, but sometimes they managed to really get into a fiery argument. Typically the source of their disagreements was Wheeler's emotional impulsiveness versus Linka's analytical deliberation. This time had been no exception. Wheeler had wanted to go after Nukem, guns blazing, as soon as he heard about the radioactive villain's scheme. Of course, Linka wanted to think things over, to come up with a plan of attack before they went after Nukem. Wheeler's opinion had won out in the end. However now that he saw where it had gotten them he seriously regretted not listening to Linka. He needed to apologize to her, but in order for that to happen he needed to see her again…

When the phone rang Wheeler was so excited he almost fell off of the corner of the bed where he had been perched. He reached for the phone quickly before anyone else had a chance to grab it. "Linka?" he asked anxiously before whoever was it was that called even had a chance to speak.

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "This is Colonel Luce. I'm calling with an update about Linka."

Wheeler looked disappointed for a moment, before his expression changed to anger. The others watched him curiously. "Where is she?" Wheeler demanded. "What have you done with her?"

"She is here at the base. She has recovered from her injuries and will be leaving within the hour." Before Wheeler had a chance to respond the Colonel hung up the phone.

"What a jerk!" Wheeler exclaimed.

"Was that Colonel Luce? What did he say?" Gi asked anxiously.

"He said that she is being released within the hour." Wheeler said. He sounded relieved, but there was still a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"Well that's great," Ma-ti said, always the reassuring one. He started to say something else when he was interrupted by a scream for help coming from outside of their motel room.

"What was that?" Gi asked, jumping up from the chair where she had been sitting and running for the door.

Kwame made it to the door first and flung it open. "Are you okay?" he yelled, running toward a ragged, dusty Jeep that held three very distressed looking teenagers. There were two boys and a girl. The girl, who seemed to be the oldest of the three, was driving. One of the boys was in the back seat, obviously having respiratory difficulty. He also had what appeared to be chemical burns on his arms and face.

"What happened?" Gi asked with concern.

The three teens looked like they did not want to answer. They glanced at each other nervously, uncertain of what to say. "I'm gonna go get the first aid kit from the Geo Cruiser," Gi said finally, running off quickly.

"Maybe someone should go call an ambulance," Ma-ti suggested as Gi left to get the first aid supplies.

"No! Don't do that!" The girl exclaimed.

Kwame and Ma-ti seemed confused at the refusal for help. Wheeler, however, did not seem fazed. "You guys been up to something you shouldn't be doing?" he asked knowingly.

The girl's blue eyes grew wide. She stared at Wheeler in shock. She was about to speak when her companion in the back seat moaned loudly. He mumbled something unintelligible.

"Look, if you guys want our help you're gonna have to tell us what's up," Wheeler said firmly.

"Just promise us you're not gonna call the cops or nothing," the boy in the front seat said nervously. He looked to be about fifteen with pale blue eyes and hair that been dyed jet black.

"We just want to help you,'' Kwame said reassuringly.

The boy and girl in the front glanced at each other before the girl spoke. "We were just checking out that old factory in the desert. You know, that one that's been abandoned forever." She was speaking quickly, nervously. "I mean, I know you're not supposed to go in there. It's been condemned, and there are all those signs from the army telling people to stay out…"

"Is that why you did not want to tell us? You thought you would get in trouble for trespassing?" Wheeler asked.

"Trespassing on military property is a big deal," the girl said. "Plus, there is some bad stuff down there. I don't want to get quarantined or something. My parents would kill me."

"What kind of bad stuff?" Gi asked. She had made it back with the first aid supplies and a portable oxygen tank. She had an oxygen mask on the boy in the back seat and he was already breathing easier. Gi was starting to treat the burns now.

"I don't know. That place was some sort of secret military research lab back in the sixties. It could be anything," the girl said. She seemed to be more relaxed now, and more willing to talk.

"What were you doing there?" Wheeler asked.

"Just trying to have a little excitement. Life around here gets pretty boring." The girl smiled flirtatiously, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulders.

Wheeler had to grin a little. Even though he was totally into Linka this girl was cute and spunky and obviously trying to get his attention. Probably if he didn't already have someone like Linka in his life this was the sort of girl he would go after.

"Oh, geez," the boy in the front said. "Do you really have to flirt with every guy you meet?"

"Little brother?" Wheeler asked.

"How'd you guess?" the girl replied sarcastically. She and Wheeler both laughed. "My name's Courtney. This is my little brother Kyle. That guy in the back is our friend Eric."

"I'm Wheeler. This is Kwame, Ma-ti, and Gi," Wheeler said motioning to each of the others as he mentioned their names.

"What are you guys, some kinda foreign exchange students?" Kyle asked sarcastically, brushing back his black bangs which were sticking to his sweaty forehead.

"We're the Planeteers," Kwame explained.

"Oh, I've heard of you guys!" Courtney exclaimed. "I've seen you on TV! You're those guys that go around fighting pollution."

"Well they need to go fight some pollution at the old Plunder Industries plant. That place is a death trap!" Kyle said bitterly.

"Wait, what did you say?" Wheeler asked. The Planeteers all looked at each other knowingly.

"I said you need to check out the old Plunder Industries plant. That's where we just were," Kyle explained, sounding somewhat annoyed for having to repeat himself.

"I think we do need to check it out," Wheeler said. "Kwame, you and Ma-ti should head out there and check it out. Gi and I will stay here with Eric."

"You mean you don't want to come with us, Wheeler?" Courtney said, sounding disappointed. She pouted a little, hoping that she could sway his opinion.

"I need to stay here. I'm waiting for someone," Wheeler answered, casting a worried glance toward the one road that led from the motel out into the desert. He hoped that Linka returned soon. There was definitely something weird going on and he needed to know that she was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stole… er… borrowed the name "Plunder Industries" from a factory Plunder owned in the episode "Wheeler's Ark"


	4. A Glimpse of the Past

Kwame wondered if it had been a good idea to venture with Ma-ti to investigate this old factory. It had seemed like a good idea at the moment; anything involving Plunder seemed to be worth looking into. However he was starting to second guess that idea now.

It was not that he did not trust Courtney or her brother. They both seemed young and innocent, and their story about sneaking into the old factory because of boredom and curiosity seemed legitimate to him. It was the uncertainty of everything that had been happening to him lately that had left him on edge.

For one thing he was still anxious as to what had happened to Linka. He was glad to hear that she would be leaving the base soon. Part of him wished that he would have stayed behind to wait for her, yet part of him was glad for a distraction. The last week had been spent worrying and waiting, stuck in a small uncomfortable hotel room with the others. At least this would give him something else to think about, though he was concerned that what he would have to think about now might be even worse.

Another thing that was worrying Kwame was the speed at which Courtney was navigating her Jeep through the New Mexico desert. She was off road at this point and leaving a massive trail of dust in her wake. Kwame was tempted to tell her that was not great for the desert's ecology, but he had learned through his years as a Planeteer that lecturing strangers about that sort of thing was not usually a good idea. Also as much as he hated to admit it the desert ecosystem was the least of his concerns at the moment.

Kwame flinched as Courtney hit a large bump causing the Jeep to become temporarily airborne. She threw her head back and laughed and her brother muttered something nasty about her driving ability. Kwame turned and looked at Ma-ti, noticing that his teammate seemed a little pale.

"So tell us about this place we're going," Kwame said to Courtney finally. He noticed his voice was a little tense as he spoke.

"Well, I don't know much about it, other than that it used to be used for military research in the fifties and sixties. There's all kinds of rumors about it- that they developed secret weapons, did research on human subjects, you know, that sort of stuff. But who knows how much of that is really true," Courtney explained.

"Yeah and some people say it's haunted too," Kyle chimed in, although he didn't really sound like he believed it.

"People get bored around here. They make up stories, especially the older kids trying to scare the younger ones." Courtney added.

"So what about the person who owned the plant? His name was Plunder?" Ma-ti asked.

"Yeah," Courtney responded. "Apparently as soon as he died his son closed down the plant, boarded it up and never came back."

Ma-ti and Kwame exchanged looks. "Do you think there's any chance this man is related to Looten Plunder?" Ma-ti said quietly.

"I would not doubt it," Kwame replied, feeling a little uneasy.

"Well, here we are," Courtney announced, stopping the Jeep outside of a rusty fence covered with stern warnings not to trespass. On the other side of the fence were several derelict buildings, with boards over the windows and plenty of graffiti spray-painted on the walls. In several places the boards had been pulled off the windows, most likely from previous thrill seekers looking for something exciting in the abandoned complex.

"It doesn't seem like there's much here," Ma-ti said. There only appeared to be a few buildings on the other side of the fence.

"That's because most of it is underground," Kyle answered. "I've heard it goes on for miles. We didn't make it that far though, since Eric decided to go beating on some old pipe and got sprayed with some kind of chemical."

Kyle and Courtney grabbed some flashlights and a digital camera out of a bag in the back of the Jeep. "Come on, let's go," Courtney said eagerly. She and her brother led Ma-ti and Kwame to an opening in the fence. Once inside the compound they navigated their way to a small building. The door to this particular structure had been pried open. The group entered and Courtney led them to a stairwell that seemed to descend into a basement.

Ma-ti and Kwame both felt rather nervous. They knew that if this factory had anything to do with Looten Plunder or his family they could be walking into a dangerous situation. Yet they were curious as to what they would find here. It seemed that they were constantly crossing paths with the eco-villains. Even when they weren't out looking for them, the Planeteers still seemed to find them.

They made their way, very cautiously, through the winding corridors that led deeper into the underground complex. All of them were too nervous for conversation, instead only speaking when they needed to communicate directions to the others.

Ma-ti in particular felt anxious. Having the power of heart had always made him more in tune with the emotions of others, so it was possible he was just picking up the anxiety of everyone else. However the emotions swirling through his mind seemed particularly acute, as if they were floating in the air around him. It was almost like he was feeling the emotions of the _place_ , although that was not something he had ever been able to do before. Perhaps whatever had happened here in the past had been so terrible that the emotions still lingered.

After about ten minutes the group came to a large, heavy door that most likely had previously guarded the entrance to something very important. Fortunately years of abandonment and decay had rusted the door, leaving it in a state disrepair that might make it possible for them to pry it open.

"Come on guys," Kwame said to Ma-ti and Kyle, "I am sure we can get this open."

"Guys? What about me?" Courtney said in a huff, crossing her arms across her chest. "You don't think I can help cause I'm a girl?"

"Oh my God Courtney, calm down," Kyle said, in a typical little brother fashion. "Here, hold this and aim it at the door," he said, shoving his flashlight into her hand.

Courtney took the flashlight ungratefully, using it to illuminate the door as the three guys tried to push it open. After a few unsuccessful attempts at shoving open the door the group stopped, considering what to do.

"Maybe this is as far as we can go," Ma-ti said. Normally he was not one to give up, but something in him was screaming at him to not go any further.

"No way!" Kyle insisted. "I didn't go this far just to be stopped by this stupid door!"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "So what are you gonna do to get around it?"

"I can use my ring," Kwame suggested. He unconsciously fidgeted with the ring as he spoke.

"Are you certain that's a good idea?" Ma-ti asked cautiously. "You don't want to risk causing a cave-in."

"No, I am certain I can do it," Kwame responded, suddenly feeling far more confident than usual in his abilities. He stretched his hand out toward the door and whispered "Earth" rather than shouting it in his usual manner.

The others watched in amazement as a slight crack formed in the ground beneath the door. It was just enough to make the door sink several inches, causing the rusty hinges to snap from the weight of the heavy steel door.

"Wow, Kwame," Ma-ti said, "I didn't know you had such control over your powers."

"I didn't either until just now," Kwame responded, seeming almost as amazed as Ma-ti.

"Come on guys!" Kyle said eagerly, "all this door needs now is one good push and it's coming down!"

Kyle's prediction was accurate and it did only take one push to topple to door. When the group walked into the room that had been sealed off for decades they were amazed at what they saw. There was a long corridor with cells on either side. Each cell had a door with a tiny window near the top. Some of the doors were left open as if the place had been abandoned in a hurry. Courtney aimed her flashlight into one of the open cells. "Oh my God," she whispered.

The cell was sparsely furnished, with a toilet, a sink and a bed that looked more like a hospital gurney than a typical prison bunk. On each corner of the bed was a restraint, and on the floor was on overturned tray that looked the kind used in hospitals to hold medical equipment. Various items, including scalpels and syringes, were scattered across the concrete floor.

"They really did experiment on people here!" Courtney exclaimed.

Kwame and Kyle both peered into the cell. They stared in shock at the macabre scene. It was difficult to imagine any reason for this room to be here other than human experimentation.

"I do not believe it," Kwame said after taking a moment to compose himself. "Ma-ti, you should have a look at this."

Ma-ti shivered a little. He was not certain that he wanted to look inside of the cell. However he had made it this far into the factory, he figured he might as well see what was in there. Perhaps he would see something they could use to figure out what happened here.

When Ma-ti looked into the cell he was overcome with a sudden sense of nausea and panic. He could see a young man strapped to the bed, and someone in a military uniform injecting something into his arm. That image was quickly replaced by another scene, the young man now alone, but writhing in pain. Ma-ti sank to the floor, holding his head in his hands, as the sudden torrent of images and emotions flooded his mind.

"Ma-ti! Are you okay?" Kwame said, kneeling next to his friend. Kwame placed his hand on his teammate's arm and he could feel that Ma-ti was sweating, despite that fact that it was actually rather cold this far underground. "Ma-ti! Speak to me!"

Ma-ti could hear Kwame's voice, but he was powerless to respond as his mind continued to fill with disturbing images and tortured emotions. The things that had happened in this place had been terrible and grotesque. He tried to gain control of his mind, to will himself to focus, but it was difficult.

Courtney was at Ma-ti's side now, her hands on his shoulders. "Ma-ti," she whispered, her voice trembling with concern. "What's going on?"

"I… can…" Ma-ti struggled to speak. He paused and took a deep breath. "I can see what happened here. It… it was… horrible…"

Courtney's eyes grew wide in shock. "How can you do that?"

"He has the power of Heart," Kwame explained. "He can sense emotions." Of course Ma-ti was experiencing a bit more than just emotions right now, but Kwame figured that was something he should discuss with Ma-ti later in private.

"Well, that's some crazy stuff. I think maybe we should get him out of here," Kyle said with an edge of panic to his voice. His eyes darted to the heavy door they had just pushed down moments ago.

"I agree," Courtney said. "We probably need to get back up before it starts getting dark anyway."

Kwame grabbed Ma-ti's arm and helped him to stand up. "Do you think you can walk?" Kwame asked with concern.

Ma-ti nodded and with Kwame's help took a few cautious steps. He was eager to get out of this place. There was something evil here, and Ma-ti had a suspicion that they were going to regret disturbing it.


	5. There Are No Coincidences

Linka was excited to finally be leaving the military base and to reunite with her friends, especially Wheeler. She knew it must be killing him to not be able to speak to her. It was hard on her too, though she did not like admitting it. Linka always felt that she needed to be independent and strong, though she knew this whole situation would have been much easier to handle if Wheeler would have been with her.

The strange woman with an odd resemblance to Dr. Blight was going to drive Linka out to the motel where the other Planeteers were waiting. She followed the woman to a black Ford Excursion with darkly tinted windows and government issued license plates. It appeared as if no one else was going to accompany them. Linka wondered if she could use the ride as a chance to try to pry some information out of this woman.

Linka watched as the woman drove past the gate of the military compound into the New Mexico desert. Her gaze seemed to be fixed straight ahead, she never glanced at Linka, or at anything else. It made Linka feel somewhat uneasy.

Linka was not sure of what to say to even start a conversation with this woman. She did not even know her name. Well, Linka figured, that would be a good place to start. "What is your name?" Linka asked, trying to sound conversational and not demanding.

The woman never shifted her gaze from the desert road. "Why does it matter?" she said tonelessly.

"You know my name. Why shouldn't I know yours?" It was the best explanation Linka could think of. Besides Linka figured this woman would seem a little less creepy if she had a name. She would seem more like an actual person rather than some cold, emotionless soldier.

"You can call me Becca," the woman answered.

"Becca." Linka repeated. Her mind flashed back to the folder she had seen next to her bed at the base. Linka had wondered what the acronym "B.E.C.C.A." meant. Could it have something to do with this woman?

"Is there something unusual about that name?" Becca asked, as she realized that Linka seemed to be contemplating something.

"No, I was… I was just thinking that I have never known anyone with that name before," Linka answered uncertainly, saying the first good excuse that popped into her mind.

Becca did not respond, but continued driving silently, staring at the road ahead as it stretched into miles of nothing.

After a few moments of silence Linka decided to try to start a conversation again. She thought that she should try something a bit more controversial, to see if she could even get a reaction out of the woman. "Do you know you look very much like Dr. Barbara Blight?" Linka said, watching Becca to see if there was any reaction.

Becca turned her head slightly and gave Linka a curious look, though she did not answer. It was not much, but considering the woman's complete lack of emotion up until this point Linka figured the question really struck a chord with her.

"Is there some reason the two of you look so much alike?" Linka asked insistently, hoping to capitalize on Becca's reaction.

"I suppose I do bear a strong resemblance to this woman. But I have never met her, I have only seen pictures of her from her file," Becca answered emotionlessly.

"But do you not think it is curious, how much you look like her?" Linka asked. "You do not think that this is just a coincidence?"

"There are no coincidences in life," Becca answered simply.

Linka wondered what that was supposed to mean. "So if there are no coincidences, then that means there is a reason you two look so similar."

"Of course there is a reason. There is always a reason. That is the beauty of science. Everything has a reason, everything can be explained."

"Well then what is the reason?" Linka asked curiously.

"I cannot answer that question for you," Becca replied ambiguously.

Again Linka was left to wonder what Becca meant with her cryptic answer. Did that mean she did not know the answer or that she could not tell Linka for some reason? Perhaps it was some sort of classified secret. Linka felt annoyance at all the unanswered questions she had dealt with over the last few days. She sighed and sank back into her seat, resting her head against the window and watching the unchanging desert scenery pass by.

Finally after several minutes Becca was the one to break the silence. "So tell me what this Dr. Blight is like."

Linka turned and looked at Becca curiously. "You do not know? You and Colonel Luce have a huge folder full of information about her."

"I know about her- who she is, what she has done. I want to know what she is like. What kind of person she is."

"She is crazy," Linka said. "Do you really need to know more than that?"

Becca did not respond, but Linka knew the answer to her own question. Linka struggled to find the words to describe an enemy that she despised so much. "Dr. Blight is smart, probably one of the smartest people I have ever met. But she uses her mind for evil, to hurt people and to hurt the earth. She seems to enjoy the misery of others. She seems… sometimes she can almost seem to be kind or caring, but then she instantly becomes angry and violent. I do not know how to describe it, except that she is crazy. Something is wrong with her mind."

Becca thought about Linka's words for a moment. "Do you believe that she is inherently evil, or do you think that she is capable of doing good?"

The question caught Linka off guard. "I do not know. I suppose that all people are capable of doing good. She seems to choose evil over good, but I suppose if she wanted to she could choose good."

"Do you think that she would choose good, if it were a serious situation? If the world depended on it?"

Linka was not sure how to answer such an odd question. Dr. Blight had never seemed to care about the world so she had no reason to choose to protect it. Yet Linka had always believed that all people were inherently good, even if a lot of times they chose to do things that were evil. Gaia had a strong faith in humanity and she implored the Planeteers to be optimistic about people as well. Dr. Blight, however, was a difficult person to figure out. As much as Linka wanted to believe she would do the right thing in such an extreme circumstance, she was still uncertain.

"I do not know," Linka admitted finally.

"What about you Linka? What would you do to protect the world?"

"I do not understand what you mean," Linka responded.

"If the world depended on it, would you do anything? Would you kill someone if it meant millions of lives would be saved?" Becca's voice was still emotionless, even though her question was so dark.

Linka thought for a moment. She was feeling very uncomfortable now. As she thought about the answer she began to sense something in herself that she did not comprehend. She realized that she could kill someone, if she had to. If it were for the greater good of all, and if there were absolutely no other way. It was not as if she would enjoy it, in fact it would probably destroy her inside, but she would do what needed to be done. She could allow her logic to override her emotions in such a dire circumstance, though she hoped she would never be faced with such a difficult choice.

After a few minutes had passed without Linka answering the question, Becca asked her another one. "You have already told me of what a terrible person Dr. Blight is. If taking her life would save the world would you do it?"

"What kind of question is that?" Linka snapped. "I am not a killer!" She scowled and folded her arms across her chest. Even though she had just decided she probably could do such a thing under an extreme circumstance the question still bothered her. She was a good guy. She was a Planeteer. This strange Becca person had no right to ask her such questions.

"It is just a question," Becca explained. "And I am not accusing you of being a killer. I am not referring to murder. I am referring to taking one person's life in order to save the lives of countless others. What would you do in that situation?"

"I would try to find another way," Linka answered curtly.

"And if there were no other way, then what? Could you kill someone like Dr. Blight?"

Linka took a breath. "Yes," she answered, her voice barely a whisper. "If that were absolutely the only way. But I do not understand why you are asking me such questions."

"Your cousin Boris was killed by overdosing on a drug called Bliss. He was not the only person killed by this drug. All because of Verminous Skumm. You and the other Planeteers had encountered him before. Suppose you had killed him when you had a chance. Boris would still be alive, as well as many other people."

Linka felt her heart pounding and her face burning with anger. She clenched her fists and tried to control her emotions. Was this woman really blaming Linka and the other Planeteers for Boris' death? Was she suggesting that they should have killed Skumm? "What are you trying to say?" Linka said finally, her voice trembling with anger.

"How do you think Skumm acquired the formula for Bliss? He is not a scientist. It was developed by someone else, by Dr. Blight when she worked for the United States government bio-weapons depart."

Linka's mind was swirling with anger now. She had never forgiven Skumm for the death of her cousin. She had never forgiven him for other reasons as well, things that she had never talked about with anyone. Now that she realized Dr. Blight was the one who had given Skumm the formula Linka felt even more anger. Old memories of things she had tried to forget flooded her mind. She clenched her fist and set her jaw, trying to keep herself from crying.

"When Dr. Blight was dismissed by the government she stole a lot of the research from her lab and took it with her when she went to work for a private pharmaceutical company- one owned by Looten Plunder. And one of the primary shareholders in the company was Hoggish Greedly. They were all receiving a cut of the money from Skumm's enterprise."

There were tears forming in the corner of Linka's eyes now, despite her attempts at supressing her emotions. She did not want to hear any of this. It was too much for her to bear.

"You see, it is as I told you. There are no coincidences in this world. You Planeteers have no idea how intricately your lives are tied to the lives of the people you refer to as eco-villains. You can ask Ma-ti about it. There are things he has not told you about his past."

Linka wondered what Becca meant by that. Did she know as much about the Planeteers as she knew about the eco-villains? Linka wanted to press for answers but it was difficult for her to gather her thoughts with the strong emotions clouding her mind. She also figured that trying to get any straight answers out of this woman was a futile effort.

Linka was crying now; she could no longer hold back the tears. "Why are you telling me all of this?" she demanded between sobs. "Are you trying to tell me that we should have killed them? That we should now?"

"I'm trying to understand what kind of a person you are. Up until now it has been easy for you. You are the good guys, and you do the right thing. You do not harm anyone, not even your enemies. But what would happen if things suddenly became more complicated?"

Linka sensed a warning somewhere in Becca's answer. "Up until now…" What did that mean? What was happening now that would cause things to suddenly become more complicated?

As Linka was pondering these things Becca parked the SUV in front of a dingy old motel. Linka noticed the Geo Cruiser parked nearby. This must be where the others had been staying. It was not long before the door to one of the rooms swung open and Wheeler rushed out anxiously to meet her.

"Your friend is waiting for you," Becca said to Linka, who was still sitting in her seat, her mind trying to comprehend everything she had just been told. "You should go to him."

"Da," Linka said softly as she unlatched her seatbelt. She tried to compose herself by wiping the tears from her face and taking a few deep breaths. "What is happening, Becca?"

"I do not know how to answer that," Becca said. "Just think about what I asked you. What would you be willing to do to save the world?"

Linka realized that was as clear of an answer as she would get from the strange woman. Without another word Linka got out of the vehicle and walked toward the motel.

Wheeler could barely contain his excitement upon seeing Linka for the first time in a week. He started running toward Linka, and she actually sprinted toward him as well despite her usual policy of being restrained in showing emotion. He grabbed her in a tight embrace, lifting her off the ground. "It's so good to see you, Babe," he said excitedly, squeezing her just a little tighter as he spoke.

"It is good to see you too, Yankee," she said, feeling happy for the first time in days. She could feel the tension relax in her muscles as he held her close. Everything that had happened to her lately had been so bizarre. It was good to be with someone familiar and comforting.

They held each other silently for another minute, both very grateful to be reunited. Linka sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder. When Wheeler finally released his hold on Linka and looked at her face he immediately noticed that her eyes were red from crying. "What's wrong, Linka?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"It is nothing, Wheeler," she replied quickly. The look Wheeler gave her made it obvious he knew she was lying. "It is not important right now," Linka added before he had a chance to protest. "We can talk about it later. Where are the others?"

Wheeler was a little deflated by her answer, yet he understood that it was typical of Linka to put the well being of the others before her own emotions. "Gi is in our room. Kwame and Ma-ti are checking out some old factory near here."

Linka looked at Wheeler, her expression one of surprise. She had expected the others to be here and she was rather disappointed not to see them. She wondered what was so interesting about this factory. "Why would they be doing that?" she asked curiously.

"Apparently it's owned by Plunder- or his dad or something. Some teenagers were snooping around out there and one of them got poisoned by something."

Linka's eyes grew wide. Becca's strange words came to mind. There are no coincidences. "Wheeler we need to go to that factory and find Kwame and Ma-ti. I think they could be in danger," Linka said anxiously.

"Right," Wheeler said, not arguing with Linka's instincts. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter was based on the episode "Mind Pollution" where Skumm sells a drug that kills Linka's cousin Boris and Linka also gets tricked into becoming addicted. I got the idea that Skumm was not the one who developed the formula because he's so concerned about losing the notebook with the formula in it. If he was the inventor I don't think he would have been so worried. Plus I think you have to know some serious science to develop drugs which is why I thought it was feasible Blight could have invented it.


	6. Reunited

The late afternoon sun was casting a reddish tint across the desert sand as Wheeler, Linka and Gi headed out into the desert to find the others. They had to take the Geo Cruiser, since they had no other form of transportation. The injured teenager Eric was laying in one of the back seats, still somewhat disoriented, though fortunately awake.

"Is he going to be okay, Gi?" Linka asked worriedly, referring to Eric. Wheeler had briefly filled her in on what had happened to the young man. Linka was not certain about bringing him along with them, but she was even more leery of leaving him alone at the hotel. The extent of his injuries was unknown, though he appeard to be recovering. Still Linka was concerned the kid felt worse than he was letting on.

"I don't know," Gi admitted. "I suppose if he is still not better after we find the others we should take him to the hospital."

"No… don't…" Eric protested. His voice sounded a little raspy.

Gi frowned a little. "Just relax, okay?" she said to Eric, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

" _Bozhe moi_ ," Linka muttered quietly. She shook her head. "This boy really needs a doctor. We should call an ambulance."

"His friends wouldn't like that," Wheeler said from the pilot's seat as he navigated the Geo Cruiser. Flying the jet was normally Gi's job but she had wanted to stay with Eric to keep an eye on his condition.

"They were trespassing Wheeler," Linka said. "If they get in trouble, then it is their own fault. They cannot risk their friend's health to protect themselves."

Wheeler glanced at Linka who was looking at him seriously. He gave her a huge smile. "Yeah, you got a good point Babe," he replied. It was times like this that it really made Wheeler realize how odd of a couple the two of them made. He was laid back, always wanting to have fun. She was serious and always focused on the mission. To Wheeler, rules were meant to be broken, to Linka they were meant to be obeyed. Of course, it made them compatible in an odd way. She kept Wheeler out of trouble and he helped Linka to relax and enjoy life.

However despite their differences, they shared quite a few traits as well, including their rather quick tempers. Wheeler still felt guilty about his recent fight with Linka though, so he managed to refrain from arguing with her on this. Besides if he really thought about it he would have to admit she was right. Eric's safety needed to come before his friends' fear of getting into trouble for their actions. And if his friends did not come to that conclusion soon, the Planeteers might have to make that decision for them. Wheeler frowned a little at that thought. He was not the kind of person who liked to tell other people what to do. He had always hated when people told him what he should do with his life, and he tried to let other people be free to make their own decisions as well.

They were silent for the rest of the trip until Wheeler saw the factory come into view. "Well, here we are guys," Wheeler said as he landed the Geo Cruiser. The flight from the motel to the factory had not taken very long. He opened the door and hopped out. "You guys coming?"

"Da," Linka said, climbing out of the aircraft from the other side.

Gi looked at Eric. "Will you be okay for a few minutes?"

The teen nodded. "Yeah. I'm alright."

Gi was not completely convinced but she also figured she needed to go with the others in case they got into trouble and needed to summon Captain Planet. "Well take it easy and just stay in here," Gi instructed him. She pointed out the Geo Cruiser's satellite phone. "If you need anything call 911. Got it?" She gave the boy a stern look.

"Got it," Eric muttered.

Gi hopped out of the aircraft and joined Wheeler and Linka who were studying the remnants of the abandoned factory.

"There does not seem to be much here," Linka remarked as she surveyed the decrepit buildings behind the rusted chain link fence.

"Maybe there's more underground," Wheeler said as he looked for an opening in the fence. After a moment he found it and cautiously stepped into the compound followed by Linka and Gi.

The sun was very low in the sky now and was casting strange shadows across the buildings. The hot desert air was already starting to cool down as nighttime quickly approached.

"This place is some kinda creepy," Wheeler said as he ducked beneath a giant spider web suspended from the open doorframe of one of the buildings. He shuddered and tried not to think about the kind of spider that would build such a web. "Let's hurry up and find the others so we can get the heck out of here!"

"Agreed," Gi said, also feeling rather uncomfortable.

Linka noticed that the door had been pried open on a small building across the compound. "I think we should look there," she said, motioning for the others to follow her. "Come on, follow me."

The inside of the building was nothing remarkable. There was broken glass on the floor and cobwebs in the corners. There was an old metal desk that was scratched full of initials and dates by adventure seekers. It appeared that this had previously been some sort of an office. Toward the back of the room was a door that led to a stairwell that descended down into what seemed to be a basement.

"Well, I guess we better go down there and look for the others," Wheeler said, trying to sound brave. "I don't suppose anyone brought a flashlight?"

" _Nyet_ ," Linka replied, suddenly feeling very apprehensive about this expedition. It was almost dark now and it was impossible to see what was at the bottom of the stairwell. It could just descend into some sort of pit.

"Come on, let's go, we can just use my ring as a light," Wheeler said. It was something he had done many times before and it had worked pretty well. He discovered that trick the first time the Planeteers encountered Looten Plunder, and he found it a little ironic that it was helping him again in another situation involving the greedy businessman. The Planeteers had learned plenty of methods of dealing with the eco-villains during their frequent confrontations. Of course the villains had learned a few tricks of their own over the years, leading to their encounters becoming increasingly dangerous.

Wheeler turned his attention back to the situation at hand. He held up his right hand, a reddish orange glow emanating from his ring. He stepped onto the stairs and carefully took a few steps, followed by Gi. Linka still stood at the top of the stairs uncertainly.

"Come on Linka," Gi said reassuringly. "It's not so bad. These stairs are actually pretty sturdy."

Reluctantly Linka stepped through doorway. The red light from Wheeler's ring cast a strange and ominous glow to the narrow stairwell. It was still impossible to see what lay at the bottom as Wheeler's ring could only illuminate a small area. Beyond that was mysterious and endless darkness. A strange thought came into the back of Linka's mind that she was descending into hell.

Linka took a deep breath and tried to force the unsolicited thought out of her mind. She told herself to calm to down. It was just an old factory, nothing more. She assumed that she was only on edge because of the strange events of the last few days. She was not normally so emotional; in fact she was usually very logical and restrained.

After taking a moment to steady herself, Linka followed Gi and Wheeler silently into the underground part of the factory. When they finally reached the bottom they came to a long corridor with doors along either side. Some doors led into rooms, while others led to more hallways. Linka's mind flashed back to following Becca down the long corridor at the base. It seemed eerily similar to this place.

"Which way should we go?" Gi asked, studying the layout of the underground facility. It was difficult to see much with only the dim light coming from Wheeler's ring.

"I think we should follow the main corridor," Linka answered quickly. "We do not want to get lost down here."

"Good idea, Babe," Wheeler said. He led the way with Linka and Gi following close behind.

They walked slowly, trying to take in everything that was going on around them. There were rooms that looked like offices, and others that looked like laboratories. There was certainly much more to this factory that what they had seen on the surface. There were so many rooms located just along the main corridor, Linka wondered what else there was hiding along the many other paths that branched out from it. She also wondered if Ma-ti and Kwame were lost somewhere in the twisted maze of this underground labyrinth.

As if in answer to her question Linka heard the sound of Kwame's voice echoing down one of the hallways. "Kwame, is that you?" she called out eagerly.

"Linka!" he shouted back, sounding very glad to hear his teammate's voice.

A moment later the Planeeteers were finally reunited. Ma-ti grabbed Linka in a big hug. Linka squeezed him close in return. "It is so good to have you back!" he exclaimed happily, though Linka also noted a slight nervousness to his tone. Despite that it was still comforting to hear his voice. Ma-ti was always so warm and caring; he was like a brother to her. He was always the one she could count on for an encouraging word when she was feeling unhappy or disillusioned. It was good to see him again.

Kwame hugged her too, but in a much more subdued manner, exactly what Linka would have expected from him. She knew Kwame's feelings were just as genuine as Ma-ti's but he was normally not as exuberant about it. "Yes, we were really getting worried, my friend," Kwame said. Linka could hear the relief in his voice.

"Oh believe me, I was getting worried too," Linka said. She glanced at all of the other Planeteers, happy they were finally all back together.

"So this is the whole team then?" Courtney asked as she watched the reunion.

"Yep, this is all of us," Ma-ti answered with a large smile.

Wheeler started feeling anxious as the other Planeteers were explaining who they were to Courtney and Kyle. He never felt very comfortable in enclosed spaces to begin with, and considering the fact that this place belonged to the Plunder family he really felt no reason to hang around now that they had found Kwame and Ma-ti. "Look, I don't know about you guys," Wheeler interrupted, "but this place is giving me the creeps! Let's get out of here already!"

Everybody chuckled at Wheeler's slightly overdramatic exclamation, though they all agreed with him on some level. The group followed him as he lead the way back down the long corridor.

A moment later they heard a faint rumbling noise coming from the area that Kwame and Ma-ti had just explored with Courtney and Kyle. Almost immediately after that a fine powdery dust began falling from the ceiling onto their shoulders.

"Oh no," Kwame said, as he examined the light layer of dust on his forearm.

"Oh no, what?" Wheeler asked, his eyes growing large as he realized he probably already knew the answer to his question.

"I think the tunnels may be unstable," Kwame said with genuine fear in his voice. "They could be collapsing."

Everyone in the group exchanged worried glances. Suddenly the ground began to shake slightly and the noise they had heard earlier sounded like it was getting closer.

"Come on guys, let's get out of here!" Wheeler exclaimed. The urgency in his tone was apparent. The others quickly followed him as he ran for the stairwell that led back to the safety of the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeler used his ring as a "flashlight" in the episode "Last of Her Kind". I think he did other times too, but I can't remember. But it's not just something I made up. ;)


	7. A Brush With the Law

The group ran quickly for the stairwell hoping to make it out before the tunnels started collapsing. Judging by the noise of falling debris that was growing louder by the second they did not have much time left.

The sun must have been completely below the horizon because there was no light indicating the end of the tunnel. The only illumination they had at all was the dim glow of two flashlights which bounced light across the walls as the group ran frantically for the exit.

Linka and Wheeler made it up the stairs first followed a moment later by Courtney and Kyle. The others were close behind when Gi's foot caught on some unseen obstacle, causing her to trip and fall in the near darkness.

Gi cried out in surprise as she hit the ground hard. She had instinctively reached out her arms to brace herself as she fell, causing pain to shoot through her wrists to her elbows when she landed.

Kwame froze when he heard Gi’s startled cry. She sounded as if she had been hurt. "Gi! Are you ok?" he called out anxiously, turning back to check on her.

"I'm fine," she answered as Kwame and Ma-ti knelt next to her to help her up. Her ankle hurt a little when she stood on it, but she did not think that it was too serious. “I can make it out of here. Let’s go,” Gi said resolutely.

"I would feel better if you let me help," Kwame replied, wrapping his arm around Gi's waist without giving her a chance to respond.

Gi did not protest even though normally she would oppose getting any sort of special treatment from her teammates. She figured she did not have time at the moment to determine just how injured she might be. Besides that, the most important thing at this point was getting above ground before the imminent collapse of this underground structure.

Gi wrapped an arm around Kwame’s shoulder and allowed him to guide through the corridor. As they were getting close to the exit they were thrown off balance by a sudden powerful tremor which caused a substantial part of the ceiling to collapse on top of the stairwell. Ma-ti used his flashlight to survey the damage and quickly determined the stairs were almost completely blocked.

"How are we going to get out of here now?" Gi asked, her voice shaky.

"I think we should call Captain Planet." Ma-ti replied nervously. There was no time to try to dig through the rubble. "Quickly."

"Are you guys ok down there?" they heard Wheeler yell from the top of the stairs when he realized they were no longer right behind him.

"No, we're trapped, the stairs are blocked," Gi yelled in response.

"Well what are you waiting for? Come on Kwame, it's time for a team beam!"

"Let our powers combine!" Kwame yelled quickly, raising his hand into the air. "Earth!"

"Fire!"

"Wind!"

"Water!"

"Heart!"

"By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!" Captain Planet emerged from the ground in a bright flash of light. "Go Planet!" the Planeteers yelled in unison.

Courtney and Kyle just watched, mouths slightly agape. "Holy crap," Kyle said finally.

"And I thought all that stuff on TV was just a bunch of hype…" Courtney said in amazement.

"Oh no, it's quite real," Linka said, slightly amused by their responses. "A little unbelievable, but real."

Captain Planet changed his form to stone so that he could dig through the ground to rescue the stranded Planeteers. "I hate to do all the _boring_ work, but people just take me for _granite_!" he exclaimed before spinning his body rapidly and drilling into the earth.

Kyle groaned. "Does this guy always make such bad jokes?"

"Always," Wheeler said with a nod.

Captain Planet quickly made his way into the sealed off tunnel. He scooped up Kwame, Gi and Ma-ti at once and brought them back up to the safety of the surface. The three thanked him, grateful to be rescued yet again by their hero.

"What are you kids doing out here in the desert?" Captain Planet asked.

"We were checking out this factory," Wheeler explained. "It belongs to Plunder… or his family or something."

"His family?" Captain Planet asked curiously.

"Well it has not been used in decades. It must have belonged to his father or grandfather," Kwame said.

"Well be careful Planeteers, he's a dangerous man to mess with. It's probably safe to assume the rest of his family could be dangerous as well." Captain Planet replied sagaciously.

"I agree," Linka said. "We should be very careful with this situation. There are a lot of strange things happening."

Captain Planet nodded in agreement. "Well since you kids are safe now, I think I'm going to get some sleep. Digging through all of this bedrock reminded me that it was past my bedtime… Remember, anytime you need me, just give me a ring!" he said with a cheesy grin. "The power is yours!" he yelled before vanishing, the power returning to the Planeteers' rings.

"Well, what do we do now?" Courtney asked after a moment of silence.

"I guess we get out of here, and get Eric to a doctor," Wheeler answered, turning to head for the Geo Cruiser.

As Wheeler looked out toward the road leading away from the factory he noticed flashing blue lights quickly approaching. "Oh, great…" he muttered. Someone must have noticed all the activity happening at the abandoned factory and called the police. He was not looking forward to explaining what they were doing there, or why they had an injured teenager with them.

A moment later several New Mexico state police cars arrived, the officers cautiously getting out of their vehicles and surveying their surroundings. The sun had completely set now and just the faintest traces of light lingered at the horizon. Most of the officers had flashlights in their hands.

One of the officers turned his flashlight so it shone directly into Wheeler's eyes. Wheeler immediately raised his arm to cover his eyes and turned away from the officer. However he reacted a little too quickly for the officer's comfort. "Hands in the air, now! Keep them where I can see them!" The officer ordered sternly.

"That goes for all of you!" another officer added.

Of course the Planeteers and their newfound companions immediately complied. They all realized that they were already in trouble; there was no need to make the situation any worse.

After a few minutes had passed the officers had searched them, confirming that they were unarmed and most likely just teenagers out snooping around the old factory. It was a common occurrence; however this particular group of teenagers had managed to cause more trouble than most. The cave in of a portion of the tunnels had left several large cracks in the ground and caused a few of the already unstable buildings to collapse.

The officer who seemed to be in charge was named Ryan Burke. He was in his late thirties, in good shape and spoke with a clip, military tone. He addressed Courtney and Kyle first.

"You two live around here?" he asked, shifting his gaze between the two of them.

"Y… yes, sir," Courtney answered nervously. "I'm Courtney Adler, this is my brother Kyle."

Officer Burke nodded. "I want you two to go with Officer Ramirez here. He will escort you back to the local police station where your parents can come pick you up."

Reluctantly Courtney and Kyle followed the officer back to his car. They knew they were going to be in trouble for a long time.

"And what about you kids?" Officer Burke asked, turning to the Planeteers. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"We are the Planeteers," Gi explained. "Our goal is to help protect the environment. We believe that there could be toxic chemicals in that facility. We just want to investigate."

Officer Burke narrowed his eyes, giving Gi a suspicious look. "Hmm. Well that sounds fine, ma'am, but this is private property. I would have to contact the owner and get his permission to allow you to stay here."

"Good luck with that…" Wheeler muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

As Wheeler was speaking another officer walked up to Burke and handed him a slip of paper. "This is the owner's name and contact information."

Burke scanned the paper quickly. "You kids stay here while I call the owner." He punched the numbers into his phone as he walked away from the Planeteers.

The Planeteers listened intently, trying to overhear the conversation. The pieces they could make out did not sound too promising. A minute later Burke walked back toward the group, still speaking on his phone.

"Yes sir, Mr. Plunder," Officer Burke said. "Thank you for your time. That is all I needed from you right now. If you need anything else, please call me."

The Planeteers watched as Burke finished his conversation. As he hung up his phone he noticed the group watching him eagerly. "He doesn't want you on his property," Burke explained curtly.

"But we need to investigate what is going on…" Linka argued.

"I'm sorry ma'am," Officer Burke said firmly. "This is private property, we have to abide by the owner's decision. If I catch you kids back here again I'm going to have to arrest you for trespassing. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, we understand," Wheeler said bitterly. "Come on guys, let's get out of here. We need to go check on Eric anyway."

The group followed Wheeler silently back to the GeoCruiser. They saw the flashing red lights of an ambulance approaching quickly. Another officer must have called for one while Burke was trying to contact Plunder. Within moments the paramedics were treating Eric.

"How long ago was he injured?" one of the medics, a slightly overweight middle aged man, asked.

"This morning, maybe around ten or eleven," Gi answered.

"This morning?" the other medic asked, sounding annoyed. She glared at Gi. This medic looked like she was about ten years younger than her partner.

"Why didn't anyone call us earlier?" the man asked irately. "Do you have any idea how serious chemical inhalation can be?"

"I've been taking care of him," Gi replied defensively.

The female medic studied Gi for a moment. "And you have some kind of medical training…?" she asked, her voice harsh.

"Well, no, not exactly…" Gi answered, feeling rather intimidated now.

"No, of course not," the man muttered. "Come on, let's get this kid in the truck."

The Planeteers watched as the medics loaded Eric into the back of the ambulance and sped off into the night, red lights flashing.

"Well, now what?" Gi asked.

"Well we can't stay here, I guess we should go to the hospital and make sure Eric is going to be ok. Then we can head back to Hope Island and see if Gaia has any information that can help us," Wheeler responded.

Gi gave her American teammate a curious look. "You mean you're not going to try to sneak back into the factory to look for more clues?"

Wheeler laughed a little. "You guys really think I'm that stubborn?" The others stared at Wheeler silently, their opinion obvious. "Oh boy," Wheeler continued. "Ok, I may be stubborn, but I'm not stupid. As much as I hate to admit it, Plunder has the law on his side this time. Us getting arrested won't do anybody any good."

Linka had to smile slightly at Wheeler's response. "It is good to hear you thinking logically for once, Yankee," she teased.

"For once?" Wheeler said, trying to sound like he was highly offended. He turned quickly and pretended to storm away.

The others just followed him back to the GeoCruiser, wondering how he could always manage to joke about every situation.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Does anyone else have a terrible time writing Captain Planet? Many thanks to mudget for helping me come up with some puns. :) (And also for harassing the crap outta me to get this chapter posted. That’s what I get for starting a story during my busy season at work… And also, see look I really posted it this time! :D) And thanks again to everyone who reviewed, sorry this chapter took so long.


	8. Working Late

Looten Plunder sat in his office, staring unhappily at the stacks of paperwork nearly covering his large and expensive rosewood desk.  Running a corporate empire of his magnitude meant that there was always work to be done, and a good bit of it was normally due to the meddling Planeteers. There were several ongoing EPA investigations of various industries of his, not to mention several lawsuits from people claiming to have been injured from toxic runoff from his factories.

Plunder found himself working late into the evening, as usual. He was not one to rest when there was work to be done. It was a habit he had learned from his father. Plunder still felt bitter when he thought about how distant and uninvolved his father had been in his life when he was growing up. That was a big part of the reason he had forgone having a wife and kids himself. He knew that he would be the same way, and he felt no desire to subject someone else to that kind of life. As it were he could work through the night and there would be no one at home worried about him.

He sighed as he looked at the massive pile of paper and he could already feel his head beginning to hurt.

He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a bottle of Percocet that Dr. Blight had “prescribed” for him. He popped two of the painkillers into his mouth and swallowed them with a gulp of brandy. After a moment he began to feel the numbing effects of the alcohol and narcotics entering his bloodstream. He realized that this probably was not the best solution to his problems but he was at least grateful for the temporary relief.

The phone rang and Plunder answered it quickly, grateful for a distraction from his work. “Hello, this is Looten Plunder,” he said smoothly.

“Mr. Plunder, this is Officer Ryan Burke with the New Mexico state police.” The voice on the other end of the phone was strong, with an almost military tone. “I believe you are the owner of a non-operational factory complex located here.”

Plunder knew immediately what the officer was talking about. It was his grandfather’s factory, formerly used for military research. His father had boarded up the site as soon as his grandfather had died. Looten had inherited the factory several years ago after his father’s death and it had continued to sit idle in the New Mexico desert. It was the only piece of real estate Plunder owned that he did not develop. He wondered why the police would be calling him about it. “Yes, I am the owner. What do you want?”

“There was an incident at the site today. Some teenagers were trespassing on the property and caused some damage to the structure.” Officer Burke answered.

Plunder was aware that people snuck onto the property, especially the local teenagers. He figured it was probably pretty dangerous, but he was not concerned. If people got hurt sneaking into the complex they were getting what they deserved. “So why are you calling me? I’m not really concerned about the place. Charge them with trespassing and call their parents.”

“One of them was injured. It appears that he encountered some sort of chemical within the factory,” Officer Burke answered.

 _Great_ , Plunder thought. He could just sense the lawsuit coming. This kid’s parents would sue him because their son was injured, even though the kid was the one snooping around where he should not have been. “Is this why you’re calling me?”

“The young man has been taken to the hospital for treatment. The medics would like to know if you know what kind of chemicals could be present in the factory. It would help with the treatment.”

Plunder took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He did not want to think about the factory or what could be there. “I have no idea. That factory has been closed for decades. I just own it because I inherited it from my father. I have never had anything to do with it other than that.”

“Very well,” the officer answered. “There is one more thing. There is some sort of environmental group here that thinks there are toxic chemicals in the factory and they would like to investigate.”

Plunder knew exactly who this “environmental group” was without asking. “You tell those eco-freaks to stay off of my property! If they try to sneak back there I want them arrested!” He took a big swig from the glass of brandy sitting on his desk. He slammed the glass back down on the desk so hard he was surprised the glass didn’t shatter. It probably scuffed the nicely polished desktop however, something he would most likely be angry about later.

“Yes sir, Mr. Plunder,” the officer answered slowly, somewhat taken aback by the sudden rage in Plunder’s voice.  “Thank you for your time. That is all I needed from you right now.  If you need anything else, please call me.”

“I will, thank you Officer Burke,” Plunder said curtly just before he slammed the phone down. He could feel his heart pounding and his temperature rising. Fortunately the effects of the medicine had kicked in or he would probably have one hell of a headache right now. How was it that those Planeteers were always messing with everything he was involved with? And why would they possibly care about some abandoned factory in the desert?

Plunder was too irate now to focus on the stack of paperwork that needed his attention. His eyes drifted to a picture of his grandfather, Laurence Plunder, which he kept on his desk. The picture was from the thirties, when his grandfather was still a young man. Laurence was Looten’s hero. He had made a fortune as a bootlegger during Prohibition, and then used that money to make even more of a fortune in weapons and military research during World War II and the Cold War.

Looten Plunder had only visited the facility in New Mexico a few times when he was a young boy. It was difficult to remember much about it. Mostly he remembered his grandfather. He was always excited to see his grandfather. Looten hated his father, a stern and angry man, but he loved his grandfather who always seemed vibrant and happy. He even looked just like his grandfather. Several people, including Dr. Blight and Argos Bleak, had mistaken the photo of his grandfather for him. They had thought it was him at some sort of costume party.

Plunder never really knew what happened at his grandfather’s research facility, and part of him really did not want to know. His grandfather had always been very careful to keep the inner workings of his business hidden from his family. His grandfather did whatever it took to make money.  It was the Plunder family way, his grandfather once told him, profiting from the misery of others. Looten knew that some of the things that went on deep underground beneath the factory were probably rather horrific.

He knew that he had too much work to do already, but he realized it was going to have to wait while he went to New Mexico to check out the property. He did not like the idea of the Planeteers being there and he needed to find out what they were up to before they caused too much trouble.

As he considered his situation he wondered if he should involve Dr. Blight as well. Plunder himself had no idea what happened in that factory other than the fact that it had been used for military research. Given Blight’s background in biological and chemical weapons development she would probably be able to shed some light on the situation.

Plunder had to smile a little as he considered Dr. Blight. He never ceased to be amazed by her brilliance. It seemed that she had managed to master all fields of science. She was a natural born genius, but even better than that she was an _evil_ genius. Her skills had proven to be quite useful- and profitable- to him on many occasions. He admired her willingness to disregard ethics and convention in her pursuit of knowledge. She was as willing to do whatever it took for the sake of scientific discovery as he was to make more money.

The only thing he did not understand about her was the fact that she did not seem concerned about making money from her discoveries. He did not expect her to be as concerned with acquiring wealth as he was; very few people had that sort of drive when it came to making money. But Dr. Blight seemed to have absolutely no concern with it at all. She was content to discover things just for her own personal satisfaction. Of course she made plenty of money selling her bizarre inventions, but she funneled all that money straight back into funding more research.

That made them a good team. He had more than enough capital to fund her projects, and she was willing to let him use any of her work in order to turn a profit.

There was more to their relationship than just mutual benefit however. He enjoyed her companionship for one thing. Plunder was a very busy man, constantly traversing the globe on his frequent business trips. He had little time for friends or family, not that he had much to speak of in the way of friends or family anyway. The only living relative he had was his nephew Robin, and now that Robin had made it big as a Hollywood film producer the two of them hardly ever found time to speak. They were lucky to meet up for coffee every few months.

Otherwise he spent the majority of his time working alone or with the handful of other people also known as “eco-villains.” And of that group of people, it was Dr. Blight’s company that he tolerated the most. Despite the fact that her sudden mood swings and his quick temper sometimes proved to be an explosive combination, he enjoyed being with her. At least with her he did not have to hide who he really was, or what his motives truly were.

Plunder glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly ten o’clock. Perhaps calling Blight at this point was a bad idea. He had no desire to get on her bad side. He decided he could wait until morning.

However he did not want to take the time to rest himself. He would be damned if he let those pesky Planeteers get ahead of him yet again even if that meant traveling to New Mexico in the middle of the night. Even if it meant dealing with this abandoned factory and whatever secrets lay buried there.

Plunder sighed as he picked up the phone to call the airport and arrange for his private jet to be made ready. Despite the strong medication he had taken earlier a dull headache still lingered, brought on by a combination of stress and fatigue. He had a feeling before this was all over he was going to need something much stronger than Percocet to solve his problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robin Plunder is Looten Plunder’s nephew from the episode “Going Bats, Man” and he is a movie producer.
> 
> I invented Plunder’s grandfather. Well, I mean he had to have one, everyone has a grandfather, but he never had one in the show. And the idea of Plunder’s grandfather being a bootlegger during Prohibition seems totally fitting. XD
> 
> Thanks to mudget who has basically become my unofficial beta at this point.


	9. Family Tradition

August 17, 1936

Chicago, Illinois

Laurence Plunder loved his life. He was rich, successful, powerful, respected… and best of all, he felt that he had restored some sort of honor to his family that had been previously lost.

The Plunder family had once owned hundreds of acres of plantation in southeastern Louisiana, along the Mississippi River. They had made a fortune growing tobacco and cotton using the forced labor of slaves. It was the Plunder family way, profiting from the misery of others. They had been ruined by the Civil War. Parts of the plantation had been burned or otherwise destroyed during various battles and of course the abolition of slavery ended the free labor that was the source of the plantation’s profit.

Laurence’s grandfather had never recovered from the war, both financially and psychologically. He had spent most of the rest of his life drinking and wallowing in misery in the derelict plantation manor that represented most of what the family still possessed. Laurence’s father had gotten out of there as soon as he could and taken up a career in banking- safe and reliable. Laurence’s father rarely took him to Louisiana to see his grandfather but Laurence still remembered the few visits vividly. The old man sitting around recounting his glory days in between sips of whiskey. He talked of being the lord of a vast estate, of being rich, privileged and powerful. It was the only time Laurence ever saw any spark of life in his grandfather’s green eyes. And it inspired something in Laurence- the desire to be rich and powerful.

It was not as if he were poor. Laurence’s father made a nice income, and life for Laurence and his siblings had always been rather comfortable, albeit boring. There was only so much money to be made safely, Laurence reasoned. If a man really wanted to be rich and powerful he would have to be willing to take a few risks, to do some things that others might consider… unethical.

And the US government had provided just the right opportunity for a man like Laurence to make a fortune when they adopted the prohibition policy. Bootlegging turned out to be a very profitable enterprise, and Laurence now lived the life of luxury. He owned a limousine, wore expensive Italian suits, smoked Cuban cigars and had a constant stream of young and beautiful women at his side. Of course, he had a wife and kids at home but his wife didn’t seem to mind so much- as long as he kept the money coming.

However now that Prohibition had been repealed for almost three years that money was not coming in nearly as quickly as it had before. Laurence Plunder was not poor by any means, he still had money invested in various enterprises, most of the illegal variety. However he could not quite regain the wealth he had obtained during that time and that bothered him.

Tonight was a hot, sticky summer night but it did not stop Laurence from wearing a three piece Italian suit as he headed out to one of his favorite nightclubs.  He had every intention of making sure that those around him knew how rich and powerful he was, and his style was a part of that.

He had come to this particular club to see a beautiful and precocious young woman who had just started singing there last week. She had long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes as well as an amazing body. She claimed to be twenty, but Laurence figured she was probably still in her teens, though that did not bother him.  She was the daughter of German immigrants, one of eight children. Her family had been too poor to provide much for her and now she made her own way in life, singing in speak-easies and hotel lounges. Her name was Elisabet Bliese, but she went by the Anglicized name Betty Blight.

As Betty took the stage all eyes were on her, the men leered lecherously and the women stared jealously. Her voice might not have been amazing but it was not her voice that most people were paying attention to. She was wearing a strapless pink dress with a long slit up one of the sides, showing off all of her best features.

Laurence had arranged with the owners of the club to meet Betty after her performance. Once she had finished her set, she sauntered over to his table, taking a seat across from him.

“You have a lovely voice, my dear,” Laurence said smoothly.

“Thank you,” she replied sweetly, taking a sip of wine. Betty had noticed Laurence watching her performance every night for the last week. She had done her research and found out that he was quite wealthy, and quite willing to do whatever it took to acquire more wealth. He also, unsurprisingly, had a soft spot for beautiful blondes. It was not very difficult for her to convince him to come home with her.

Betty Blight lived in a basement apartment near the warehouses downtown. The building looked as if it were ready to be condemned. Laurence followed her uneasily as she led him down a stairwell to her apartment. Once inside, Laurence’s eyes grew wide in disbelief. The place had been converted into a laboratory. There were shelves lined with books, not just in English, but also in German and French. The books covered all sorts of topics- biology, chemistry, physics, medicine… There were tables with test tubes, electronic devices and things that Laurence could not even identify. In one corner of the basement there was what looked like a surgical room set up.

Betty noticed Laurence staring at the operating room she had built. “Plastic surgery,” she explained. “I make quite a bit of money from that, from gangsters and bootleggers trying to hide from the feds.”

Laurence cringed a little. He had seen the horrible consequences of several of his colleagues attempting to change their identities using crude back alley surgeons.

“Don’t worry,” Betty said sweetly, sensing his uneasiness. “All of my clients are still alive and well. Come have a seat.” She took Laurence by the hand and led him into her living room. Once he was seated on the couch she poured them both a glass of wine.

“How did you learn how to perform surgery?” Laurence asked curiously as he sipped the wine. The wine was French, well-aged and most likely very expensive. He wondered how Betty managed to acquire it. There was certainly more to this woman than most people would realize.

“I taught myself. I read a lot of books.” She smiled. “Surgery is easy. I just do it to pay the bills. The things I am most interested in are far more… experimental.”

Laurence Plunder stared at the beautiful young woman admiringly. She was not just gorgeous, she was also a genius. The two of them together could make quite a team.

“Have you given any consideration to what you are going to do now that Prohibition has been repealed? Certainly a businessman such as yourself has some kind of a plan?” Betty asked, swirling the wine in her glass. She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, keeping her eyes on him the entire time.

Although she was trying to sound conversational Laurence knew that her question was very deliberate. She was after his money, he figured, frowning a little at the thought. “I wasn’t planning on coming here tonight to discuss business,” he answered, his tone betraying his disappointment.

“Oh, you were definitely planning on discussing business,” Betty said with a smirk, “only a different kind of business.”

Laurence grinned as he caught the innuendo in her statement.  “You certainly are a special kind of woman.”

Betty smiled. “You have no idea.” She moved so that she was sitting closer to him on the couch. “War is on the horizon. The Nazis are already developing weapons that have never been seen before. They have all of their top scientists working on it. Soon the American government will realize their need for advanced military technology. We can supply them with that if we work together.”

“I suppose we could,” Laurence answered, considering the idea. “Is that what you brought me here to discuss?”

“Oh we don’t have to discuss it now. I was just telling you about my idea.”

“So when do you want to discuss it?” he asked as he finished his glass of wine.

“I was thinking we would talk about it tomorrow morning over breakfast.” She smiled seductively at Laurence, who was now smiling back at her, his green eyes sparkling.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea,” he replied just before leaning over and kissing Betty passionately. He had a feeling this was going to be a very profitable relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who don’t know, Betty Blight was Dr. Blight’s grandmother from the episode “Hog Tide” and she was indeed a scientist who made money by working as a singer in hotels. And also plastic surgery was common during the Prohibition with bootleggers trying to hide their identity. I totally watched a History Channel special about it.
> 
> I know this was a short chapter, but I’ll have the next up in a day or two and we can see what the Planeteers are up to now. :)
> 
> And thanks again to mudget who keeps me on track with posting these updates.


	10. Sharing Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to mudget for proofreading! :D

Hope Island

Present Day

It was a bright sunny day on the perpetually pleasant home of the Planeteers known as Hope Island. The team had returned here shortly after the events at the abandoned factory in the New Mexico desert. Though they had briefly considered returning to the factory to try to figure out what was happening, they quickly gave up on that idea. The collapsed tunnels would prevent their entry into the underground facility, and even if they found away in the risk of another collapse would be very high. Besides that Wheeler had a good point about wanting to avoid getting in trouble with the law.

After they were sure that Courtney and Kyle, along with their injured friend Eric, were going to be okay they returned to Hope Island. They had hoped that Gaia could help sort things out for them, but she was not able to pick up on much more than a vague sense that there was something dark at work.

Linka, in particular, was very worried about everything that had happened. She kept thinking of her strange conversation with Becca. She knew that it was all somehow connected but she could not figure out how. She also wondered why this mysterious woman told her to ask Ma-ti about his past. If there was something he was not sharing with the others Linka was certain that he had a good reason for it, but it still made her uneasy.

Ma-ti had been unusually quiet since they had returned to Hope Island. Kwame had told Linka of the strange experience the Heart Planeteer had when they were in the underground research facility. She figured that was what was bothering him, but he seemed reluctant to talk about it.

Linka was walking along the beach in attempt to clear the thoughts that were clouding her own mind when she saw Ma-ti sitting alone further down the shore. She decided now was a good opportunity to talk to him away from the others.

“Hello Ma-ti,” she called out as she approached the young Kayapo Indian.

“Hello Linka,” he responded unenthusiastically without looking up. He was absentmindedly drawing lines in the sand with his fingertip.

“Could I speak with you?” Linka asked.

“Of course,” he answered, even though he did not sound like he wanted to talk. It struck Linka as very unusual for him to be so reserved.

Linka sat down on the sand next to him. “Something has been bothering you,” she said. “Is it what happened to you in the factory?”

Ma-ti looked up at her finally. “It was terrible. I have never experienced anything like that before.”

Linka put her hand on his shoulder. “It must be difficult for you sometimes,” she said. “Sensing emotions. How do you deal with it?”

He smiled slightly. “It is not so bad most of the time. There is always good in every situation. I just have to find that and I am okay.”

Linka’s mind flashed back yet again to her conversation with Becca. “Do you think there is good in every person?” she asked him, curious as to what _his_ response to the question would be.

“Of course there is,” he responded optimistically.

“Even in people like Dr. Blight or Looten Plunder or Skumm?”

Ma-ti was silent for a moment. “There has to be somewhere,” he answered finally. “The good is just buried so deep that it seems impossible to get to it.”

Linka was unsure of how to ask Ma-ti what she wanted to ask. “Is there something in your past that you have never told us about? Something to do with one of the eco-villians?”

Ma-ti looked at her, shocked. She could see in his eyes that it was something painful. Linka felt a twinge of guilt for asking him, she could see that whatever it was bothered him terribly. Perhaps she should not have asked him.

“Ma-ti, are you okay?” Linka asked after a moment of silence.

He did not respond. His mind was somewhere else…

Ma-ti still vividly remembered the night his parents died. He remembered the screams and cries that rose from his village to pierce the nighttime silence. He remembered the acrid odor of smoke that filled the usually pure air of the Amazon jungle. He remembered feeling afraid, wondering what was happening to his parents as he ran towards the village frantically, the Shaman following close behind. He remembered the heartache he felt when he found the necklace his mother had made for his father.

He remembered the days leading up to the attack that took his parents’ lives just as vividly. The tension had been building between the Kayapo villagers and the rubber tappers; the arguments had been growing more heated. His parents had tried to quell the disputes, his father in particular had tried to convince both sides that they needed to unite against a far worse threat- the developers who wanted to clear-cut the forest for lumber and cattle grazing. However he always seemed to run into resistance. He needed a way to bring both sides together, but had so far been unsuccessful in finding the common ground.

Over several months leading up to the attack on his village the developers had been pushing farther and farther into his people’s land. Ma-ti and his father Chico watched painfully as the rubber trees that had sustained their family for generations were removed to make room for cattle ranchers. Before long the land would be rendered useless and the ranchers would force their way even further into the wilderness, destroying the pristine rain forest that was the source of life for the Kayapo Indians, his mother’s people.

Chico had not been afraid to confront the developers. He knew that the temporary wealth created by logging and ranching would not justify the destruction of the rainforest. He was a leader and he was willing to do whatever it took to defend what was right. Ma-ti had always been proud of his father; he admired his strength and courage.

One afternoon about a week before the attack Chico had decided to take Ma-ti with him as he went to confront a particularly greedy cattle rancher who had been eyeing the land on which their tribe’s village was located. Ma-ti had been excited for the chance to see his father- his hero- in action.

As they approached the developers they were given scornful looks by loggers who saw them as a hindrance to their jobs. The men sat idly among their equipment, waiting for clearance to continue their work.

“I do not understand, Papa, why do these men want to destroy the forest?” Ma-ti asked, his voice innocent and curious.

“They are concerned with money my, son. They are only thinking of now, not of the future. They do not realize that destruction of the forest will eventually cost them far more than what they are gaining in the present.”

“But do they not care about the animals, and the trees?” Ma-ti asked insistently.

Chico smiled and patted his son on the head. “I am sure they do, if they thought about it. But they also have families to feed and they see their jobs as a way to provide for them. These men are confused, and they are not the ones you need to worry about. The ones who are really to blame are the men with the money, the developers, the ones who will take all that they can and leave when there is no more to be had.”

As Ma-ti listened to his father’s words and tried to understand as well as he could at his age that is when he saw _him_ for the first time- the man in the green suit. He was obviously not from Ma-ti’s country.  He was a white man, tall and thin with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail.

But it was not just the way that this man looked that drew Ma-ti’s attention, it was something else altogether. It was something he had not encountered before- greed, malice, evil. It was as if the man radiated darkness.

Chico realized that his son had suddenly become very apprehensive and had clutched onto his hand nervously. “What is it, Ma-ti?” he asked.

“It is that man, Papa. He is bad. I can feel it.” he answered.

His father frowned a little. Ma-ti had always had an innate ability to sense what was in people’s hearts. Fortunately growing up in an isolated jungle tribe had spared him from experiencing the greed and corruption of the modern world. Perhaps he was still too young and innocent for such an encounter. However it was too late to turn back now so Chico strengthened his resolve to deal with the greedy American businessman and hoped that his son would learn something from it.

Ma-ti did not remember most of the conversation between his father and Plunder. But he did remember the man’s threat. “You should be careful who you mess with. You have a wife and child to consider. Just back off and nothing bad will happen to you or them.”

It was not Plunder who set the fires that destroyed his village and killed his parents. But it was men who were acting on his orders. And it may not have been Plunder’s goal to kill his parents, most likely he only wanted to scare them. But none of that changed the fact that Plunder had been responsible for his parents’ deaths on some level.

Ma-ti had taken some comfort in the fact that his parents’ deaths had united the coalition and driven Plunder and the other developers out of the rainforest, but he had still never managed to fully forgive the man. Perhaps it was because Plunder was so unrepentant. Maybe if Plunder had showed any remorse, or demonstrated any desire to be a better person, then he would be able to let it go. However the only thing he ever sensed in that man was greed and selfishness.

Still he wished he could let it all go, and completely forgive Plunder for everything he had done. Not only hurting his parents, but hurting his friends as well. He had been given the power of Heart because he was innocent and his heart was pure- all except for this one dark spot that he had not been willing to share with his friends.

Ma-ti’s mind suddenly snapped back to the present. Linka was talking to him worriedly. How long had he been sitting there silently mulling over his past? It must have been a while because a storm that had been quite a distance from the island was now approaching quickly. The sky was starting to grow dark.

“I’m sorry, Linka. I was just thinking about my past. I have told you how my parents died. But there is something I did not tell you guys when I gave you my story,” he said.

“What is that Ma-ti?” Linka asked anxiously. She felt a strong gust of wind from the oncoming storm. They would need to head back to their huts soon, but she wanted to hear his story first.

“The company that wanted to clear cut the land where my village was located was owned by Plunder. He is the one who gave the order to burn down my village.” Linka could sense an edge of resentment in Ma-ti’s voice that she had never heard before.

“Why have you never told us of this?” Linka asked. She felt anger welling up inside of herself. It was not enough just to destroy the environment, Linka thought, the eco-villains wish to destroy our lives as well.

“It is just too difficult,” Ma-ti said. “Every time I see Plunder I think of my parents. I do not think he even realizes I am their son. He has probably been responsible for so many deaths he cannot even remember them all.”

Ma-ti sounded bitter. Linka was uncertain of what to say. “When you see him do you want… do you want to take revenge?” Linka asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Ma-ti looked directly at her and she saw something dark in his eyes. “I have thought of it at times. When we are stopping him from poaching I think of how easy it would be to use my ring to have a lion or rhinoceros attack him. It would stop him from hurting more animals… or people.” Ma-ti paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “I could even use my ring directly on him. I could implant a thought into his mind to hurt himself. Or I could torture him, make him feel all of the pain that he has made others feel. But I know I could never do that. Gaia gave us these powers because she trusts us to do the right thing.”

Linka shivered and it was not from the cold breeze from the storm brewing just off shore. She had no idea that Ma-ti was even capable of thinking such things, though fortunately he had admitted that he would not act on those feelings. Yet she herself had admitted she could kill if necessary. Did everyone have a dark side? What if Gaia had been wrong when she gave them their rings? Perhaps no human was really worthy of being trusted with such power.

Linka’s thoughts were interrupted by a bright bolt of lightning followed by a loud crack of thunder. The storm had arrived. Heavy waves hit the shore as debris whipped through the air past them. The powerful winds whipped her hair around her face. She tried futilely to brush it back in place.

“Come on, Linka, we need to get back to the huts!” he exclaimed, jumping up from the ground.

Linka stood up too and began running with her teammate toward shelter. The storm however turned out to be far worse than she anticipated. The wind was so strong she could barely stand.

“I don’t think we’re going to make it back!” Ma-ti shouted over the howling wind.

“Maybe I can do something!” Linka yelled. She stretched out her hand toward the sky and yelled “Wind!”

She usually felt some sort of surge of power move through her body and out of her hand when she used her ring, but never like this. It felt like a bolt of electricity shooting through her body and it felt like an explosion when the beam shot out of her ring. However it was not painful, or frightening. Actually it felt rather empowering. She realized that she was capable of doing far more than summoning the wind to blow the storm away, she realized she could control the storm itself.

She watched in amazement as the storm turned away and headed back for the ocean, on her order.

“Linka?” Ma-ti asked curiously. “I did not know you could control weather like that.”

“I did not know either,” she responded, looking up in awe at the clear blue sky which had been covered in dark clouds just moments ago.  Somehow she could control the weather. And Ma-ti could see what happened in the past. What other powers did the Planeteers have that they were unaware of? There was definitely something strange going on and she was eager to get back to the others and figure out what was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ma-ti’s dad really is named Chico (See the episode “A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste”) I’m fairly sure he’s based off of a real person named Chico Mendes.


	11. Favors for a Friend

Dr. Barbara Blight pulled her pink Mercedes into a parking space in front of St. Mary's Community Hospital, a small hospital on the outskirts of Albuquerque. She loved the car; not only was it her favorite color, but it was one of a kind. Plunder had it custom built for her as a birthday present. She had always admired Plunder's taste for expensive and opulent things. It worked out especially well for her, at least when the two of them were on good terms.

Fortunately for Plunder this was one of those times. He had asked her to do him a favor; he wanted her to go to New Mexico and check out the boy who had been injured in his grandfather's abandoned factory. The Planeteers had somehow gotten involved in all of this and he was concerned that the situation would escalate into some sort of scandal.

Blight had forgone her typical pink jumpsuit that day in favor of a pink pants suit. She wore a white lab coat over top with a stethoscope draped around her neck. She looked like any other doctor walking into a hospital. Well, she felt she had a bit more class than most of the other doctors walking into the hospital. If she was going to go in disguise, she figured she might as well do it with style. She also had false identification with her claiming that she was working for the Environmental Protection Agency. She could have claimed to be from the Center for Disease Control or even the FBI, but she liked the irony of posing as an EPA official.

Her black heels clicked loudly on the pavement as she strode quickly towards the entrance of the hospital, like someone on a mission. Once inside she wasted no time heading directly for the front desk.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Barbara Blight, Environmental Protection Agency," she said seriously, flashing her phony ID at the girl seated behind the desk. "I believe you have a patient here by the name of Eric Miller."

The girl typed a few things into a computer. "Yes we do, what can we do for you?"

"I need to speak with the doctor who is treating him. It's urgent," Blight answered with a slight air of impatience.

"I will page Dr. Synder, he should be here in a minute," the girl replied. A moment later the doctor arrived at the desk. He looked to be in his early fifties, handsome and well groomed. Blight smiled pleasantly and the doctor smiled back appreciatively.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Synder. How can I help you?" the man said amicably.

"I'm Dr. Barbara Blight with the Environmental Protection Agency. We believe that Eric Miller came into contact with some very hazardous chemicals when he was injured in that abandoned factory. The site has been under investigation for some time for being non-compliant with regulations. We would like information on his exposure, in case we should ever have to take action against the owner of the site." She lied so smoothly, one of the many skills that had enabled her to make it this far in life.

"You understand that I do need to verify this before I can give you access to this patient?" Dr. Synder replied, though he did not sound as if he doubted her story.

"Of course," she replied sweetly, "You can never be too careful these days." She was not worried. MAL had already hacked into the internet and phone lines in the hospital and was monitoring everything that happened. If any call came through concerning her MAL would make sure that it looked as if everything she was saying was true.

After a moment Dr. Synder hung up the phone, having been reassured by MAL that Dr. Blight was indeed working with the EPA. "Ok, Dr. Blight, you can come with me and speak with Eric Miller."

She followed the doctor to Eric's room. The young man looked rather weak, his face flushed as if he were running a fever. "Does he have some sort of infection?" Blight asked as she took the young man's temperature.

"Yes, but we are not sure what the source of the infection is. We began treatment with antibiotics this morning," Dr. Synder answered.

"Do you believe it is related to what happened to him in the factory?" Blight watched Dr. Synder carefully, observing his reaction.

"No, I do not believe so," Dr. Synder said uncertainly. "When he was brought in, we treated him for chemical burns and chemical inhalation. He did not seem to show any signs of infection at the time, nor do any of his injuries show any sign of infection."

"Interesting," Blight muttered. She scanned the young man's medical records looking for anything useful, specifically anything that could be used to take suspicion away from Plunder or the old factory. "It says that he was injured around three in the afternoon yet he was not admitted the hospital for treatment until almost nine at night. What was he doing for those six hours?"

"Apparently he was with some friends. They were concerned about getting in trouble for trespassing so they did not seek medical treatment right away," Dr. Synder answered.

"So Eric Miller didn't receive any treatment for his injuries until six hours after the incident?"

"No, first aid was administered prior to his arrival here," the doctor replied.

"By his friends?" Blight asked. She could pin the blame on his friends very easily, this should be no problem.

"No," the doctor answered. "By some sort of environmental group. A bunch a teenagers. They had some sort of name for themselves…"

"The Planeteers?" Blight suggested helpfully, her wicked mind already formulating a plot.

"Yes, I believe that's right. Have you heard of them?"

"Oh, yes, we are well acquainted with them at the EPA," she lied. "They are a rogue group of extremists who claim to be trying to help the environment. It's no surprise to me that they were trespassing on private property."

"Hmm, they seemed like nice kids to me," Dr. Synder said.

"Well, looks can be deceiving," Blight said with a smile, completely amused at the irony of her own statement. "If they come back here you should call me immediately."

"I will do that Dr. Blight. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No thank you Dr. Synder. You've done quite a lot to help already," she said, feeling rather pleased with herself for her deception. "If I need anything else I'll give you a call." She turned and sauntered out of the hospital proudly with the medical records for Eric Miller in hand. This might turn out better than she expected. If she played her cards right she could not only clear Plunder of any suspicion but actually make it seem that the Planeteers were the ones at fault.

Once she was outside of the hospital she gave Plunder a call. "Looten, baby," she said sweetly. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do, my dear," Plunder responded, glad to hear Blight in such a pleasant mood. "I take it things went well at the hospital."

"Things went beautifully," she replied. "I think I might be able to turn this whole thing around in your favor."

"Excellent," Plunder responded. He knew he could always count on her to help him get out of a tough situation. At least that made one person on the planet he could trust, he thought rather bitterly.

"There is one thing that would help me," Blight said, interrupting Plunder's musings.

"What's that?"

"It would help if I knew what was present in that facility. You wouldn't happen to have any records of what went on there would you?"

Plunder thought for a moment. Most of his grandfather's belongings had gone into storage after his death. "I guess anything useful that I may have would be in storage in a facility just outside the city."

"I'll meet you at there," Blight said.

Thirty minutes later she arrived at the storage facility on the outskirts of the city where Plunder was already waiting. The place looked rather neglected.

"This place doesn't even look like it's still in business," she remarked as she surveyed the location.

"Well, this stuff has been here a long time," Plunder said as they navigated through the rows of sheds to look for unit 43. "I've never even been here. I'm kind of surprised it is still open."

"You mean you inherited this stuff years ago and you've never even looked at it?" Blight gave her companion a strange look. It was not like him to let property sit idle, especially an inheritance.

"I guess I've never really cared to look at it," he said, though he knew it was not a very convincing answer for someone as greedy as himself. It was definitely out of character for him, but it almost seemed as if some part of his mind was warning him to stay away from it.

"Well, here it is," Plunder said, pointing at the number. He had gotten the key from a safe deposit box at a local bank. He was amazed it was still there; that account had been inactive for years.

"Wait!" Blight said, grabbing his hand as he reached for the door.

Plunder looked at her curiously. "What's the matter?"

"Somebody has been here recently," she replied as she examined the door.

Plunder frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why would anyone come here?"

"Well for all you know this room could have been filled with valuable antiques. You probably got robbed," she responded harshly. She was still a little bothered by Plunder's lack of concern for his grandfather's possessions.

"Well let's open it up and see what's inside," Plunder said, turning the key in the door and shoving it open. He flipped the light switch and slowly the old fluorescent bulbs flickered on.

The storage unit was filled with antiques, paintings and other valuable items, as well as plenty of boxes full of unknown things. Everything was coated in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. It made the place seem more like a mausoleum than a storage shed. "It looks like everything is still here," he said, feeling just a little uneasy.

"It doesn't make any sense," Blight said. "If someone bothered to break in here why would they not have taken all of this stuff?"

"Maybe it was just a maintenance worker," Plunder suggested, though she was no longer listening to him. She was busy examining the contents of the room, hoping to find something useful.

"Look at this," Blight said after a moment, summoning him to a corner in the back of the unit. She pointed to a spot on the floor where something had obviously been sitting until very recently. There was a square area of the floor that was not covered in dust like everything else. "It looks like there was probably a box here. This area is the same size as the other boxes in this room."

"So someone broke into this place and only took one box?" Plunder asked curiously.

"Whoever it was, it was not someone looking to make a fortune fencing stolen antiques. It was someone on a mission for something very specific," Blight answered.

"But who would want to…" Plunder started, realizing the answer to his question before he finished asking it. "Those damn Planet brats! They were snooping around the old factory, they're the only ones who would have any reason to be looking around in here."

The explanation seemed feasible, though Blight was not quite sure if she believed it. Whoever had been here had known exactly what they were looking for. They had walked directly to this box and taken it without disturbing anything else. It seemed unlikely that the Planeteers would have known exactly what to take without looking around first, but since she could not think of a better explanation she would work off of the assumption that they were the culprits. Still, she could not quite shake the feeling that something very odd was going on.

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted on fanfiction.net under the same author name (FrankieAlton)


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